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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You just sign the religious waiver.  It does not ask you what religion you are so you can worship the man on the moon who tells you not to vaccinate and that is fine.  We did the waiver for a few years and had no issue.  We do vaccinate but did it on a delayed schedule.  It was our only choice so we signed it and it was no big deal.  We did catch up by five but we will always sign it as we will not do more than 2 at a time.

[b]Its not lying by signing the form.[/b][/quote]

Here is the form:

http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/OIDEOR/IMMUN/Shared%20Documents/896_form.pdf

There are two grounds for exemption, the medical contraindication and the religious exemption. The medical contraindication says, "The above child has a valid medical contraindication to being immunized at this time". A medical provider signs the medical contraindication.

The religious exemption is "Because of my bona fide religious beliefs and practices, I object to any immunizations being given to my child." If the reason you don't vaccinate is your bona fide religious beliefs and practices, then you're not lying when you sign the form. If the reason you don't vaccinate is anything else, other than a medical contraindication, then yes, you actually are lying when you sign the form.[/quote]

I'm not going to argue about whether I feel it is lying (I do - but I also don't think a lie is always a great moral failing and I certainly don't think it is in this case).  But "religious beliefs and practices" is an elastic term that can comfortably stretch to include many things, and I am sure many who sign the form don't feel they are lying. [/quote]

For most religions (Catholic included, since that's what the OP mentioned), their bona fide religious beliefs and practices are anything but elastic.  That's kinda the point.  There's a whole catechism to teach you what is and isn't a bona fide Catholic belief.  Kids go to Hebrew school and Jewish Day Schools to learn the set of Jewish beliefs that are specific to their religion, and very much inelastic. Same with pretty much every other religion.  A religion defines itself by its set of "bona fide" beliefs.  For some religions, those beliefs really truly include no (or limited) medical intervention.  For most, they do not.

How someone who actually does practice a religion (say Catholicism) can in good Faith sign that form is beyond me.  It's basically heresy.  Sure, the school may accept it, but I doubt their priest or rabbi or imam would be thrilled.  [/quote]

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